The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-08-18
The Hamilton Tr1al---A Test Case.


Brandon yesterday before Judge A.
g. Mayors of the STU judicial dis.
trict, is the most important criminal
case ever brought before a Missls-
sippi court. This importance does
not arise from the prominence of
the principal accused and his muir
dered victim, though this alone were
enough TO throw around it extraor-
binary interest, but it is because
grave issues are involved the result
Of which will, for good or evil,
reach far beyond the present gener-
alton. In short, it may be styled
the great test case, by which it is 10
be determined whether q man Of
wealth, high official and socia! posi-
sion, backed by strong political
influences and the sympathy of the
entire immoral element of the State,
can IN the most cold blooded and
! brutal manner murder an editor
who dared to cross his ambitious
path and expose his corruption and
yet not pay the penalty Of his crime
upon the gallows as common
fclon.
This is the real issue, and the law
abiding people Of this State will
watch the progress OF this trial with
bated breath aud sullcn dctermin-
alton that justice shall be melted
out in the end, let come what
may.
Much criticism has been INDUCED
in by the few Hamilton organs Of
this State because the people have
taken an unusual interest in this
case and in many parts of the State
held public meetings and denounced
Hamilton and his crime and demand
ed that he be made to suffer the lie
]
gal penalty thereof, but it was be
cause the people knew what was at
stake that led them TO speak out as
they have. They knew Hamiltons
wealth and influence and backing,
and they knew that it was time to
speak or justice would be detied and
Knocked in the sacred precincts of
her own temple.
Neither have the people forgotten
some of the significant circum-
stances which followed the perpetra-
tion of this dastardly crime. Scarce
ly had the murdered young editor
ceased his dying gasps, before Ham
ilton had his absurd version of the
affair telegraphed by willing parti-
sans all over the country, placing
Gambrell in the role Of assassin in
stead of himself. They haven't
forgotten the part the City Marshal
of jackson took in that affair, be
friending the criminals and trying
to cover up all evidences of their
guilt, instead of performing his
sworn duty and helping to bring the
guilty parties to justice. They
haven't forgotten the before unheard
of attempt of Hamilton's lawyers to
stop the jury of inquest in their in
vestigation so that the nature of his
crime would be covered up and all
suspicion allayed. They haven't
forgotten that when that jury of
inquest went ahead with their inves-
tigation in spite OF this ofIicious
intermeddling Of Hamilton's
lawyers, and revealed the damning
fact that young Gambrell came to
his death at the hands of Jones S.
Hamilton and others as abettors,
that the legally constituted author
tiles of the City of Jackson and of
Kinds county, whose duty it was to
arrest the guilty parties, stood for
two days thereafter as if paralyzed
in the presence of the great criminal,
and that nothing further was done
until the machinery Of the law was
set in motion by an affidavit of the
grief stricken father of the murder
ed boy. They haven't forgotten
how the whole matter was at first
spoken of with bated breath by
prominent citizens of Jackson and
State officials as thing impossible
for Hamilton to do, and that thugs
and cut-throats were imported to
over-awe the righteous indignation
Of those who dared to denounce the
cold-blooded assassination. They |
haven't forgotten the attempt OF the
Jackson Clarion, the organ of the
corrupt Jackson ring, to discount
the verdict of the coroner's jury,
and to strengthen Hamilton's story,
and of the sickly uncertainty with
which the official journal of the